It's the Final Countdown!

Sarah's Thoughts: I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the band, "Starship," mostly because they sing the "Sarah" song that made me blush as a 5th grader when it first was released, and again as a 9th grader during "West Side Story" play practice. (Although I've always been a bit more partial towards the Haulin' Oats "Sarah Smile" song...) Regardless, 3 weeks to go until baby and I am getting excited! When I was pregnant with Owen, I made a quilt so I thought I should make something for this baby too. I use to do a fair amount of crocheting so I decided to use up some of the yarn that I have laying around to craft a baby blanket. Because I didn't have the right colors on hand for something gender-neutral, I instead decided to make a girl blanket and a boy blanket. Its been a cozy, settling into fall sort of project and I'm nearly finished. Bring on the baby!

high - impromptu dinner out with my brother and cousin last Friday night.

low- rolling over at night. My hips hurt so bad I let out a whimper whenever I move.

Luke Update: Luke's final fishing trip of the season is scheduled tomorrow, Labor day. I hate to say it, but I think he's secretly hoping that the wind and waves kick up so he have a guilt-free cancellation, however so far, the weather is looking a bit nicer for tomorrow... Charter trip bookings were definitely down this fishing season, but the positive side of that is we've had more time to get out on the boat for our own fishing trips and Luke has become quite an accomplished troller, I'm proud to say. Last count was 3 or 4 kings, 17 sockeye and 8 silvers. Now if we can add a moose or some deer to those numbers, we'll be set for the winter! Luke has been out on a few alpine deer hunts this fall, but no luck so far.

Owen Update: Our little boy is growing-up. He can spell his name, get his jammies on by himself, and even go potty without help. He's all about the freedom provided by the added height from his stool and pushes it all over the house. He's even wrestled the stool outside by himself and climbed in the boat. He's also quite excited about the new baby and likes to call it "Cookie". Not sure where that came from... Even with all this new found independence, he is very high maintenance when it comes to bed-time. He has to have his dino pillow in the right spot, his cuddle sleeve face up in the right position. His soft blanket flipped on the right side, his baby dog, baby lion and lately his dino puppets all lined up under the covers. Sometimes he even demands his slippers. Then when all the necessary items are in place, he requires 3 stories, prayers, kisses and 2 songs. Yikes! Maybe that's why we never get babysitters?

Alpine deer hunt vantage point. Look out bambies everywhere!

self portrait

One last beach day before fall...

puppy loving

his...

...and hers

everyone loves pinks!

notice the stool

blue-eyed boat boy

the belly - 37 weeks

Whirlwind

Sarah's Thoughts: It seems like an eternity ago that I was feeling so sick and looking forward to the summer. Now the fireweed blossoms are creeping up the stocks and the blueberries plants in our backyard are practically picked clean. I even saw "Back to School" stuff at the grocery store. It's been a busy and fun summer. We've managed to squeeze in some fishing, hiking, and a 6 day camping trip in the Yukon. I traveled to Anchorage for the wedding of my dearest friend, Sarah. Owen turned 3 and he had a parade and a stegasaurus cake to mark the occasion. This basketball in my belly is feeling as large as it ever did when I was pregnant with Owen. With 2 months to go, makes me a little worried when my weekly pregnancy updates say things like, "Your baby is headed into a growth spurt." I don't have room for a growth spurt! Thankfully, aside from a few minor hic-ups, this pregnancy has been relatively non-eventful.

high - Forecasted weather of 70+ degrees for the next few days

low - Owen's urgent potty request while we were driving to the library this morning, followed soon after by "I need to change my clothes." No library story time for us today!

Luke Update: After a rather dishearteningly slow start to the tourist season, Luke's fishing trips have been picking up. Its not going to be a record-breaking season but, with a few more bookings, will be within a stone's throw of average. Yesterday marked the start of deer season, so that is always a very exciting time for some members of our household. Usually involves lots of calling and emailing between Luke and his hunting buddies, checking work schedules and making plans. Captain Woodruff has also managed to hook us up with some delicious coho salmon, so our freezer is starting to fill. He has a trip planned later in the week to Sweetheart Creek to try his luck with a cast net for sockeye salmon. He's also been working on a new net which is slowly but surely coming along.

Owen Update: In the last week, Owen has been very interested in letters. He has a plastic place mat with the alphabet printed around the boarder and at every meal he says, "Mom, can we talk about some letters?" Um... yeah! He knows the letter "O" since that's the first letter in his name. He finds "O"s on signs at the store, in books and on maps. Now he's picking out other letters too. Its pretty exciting to witness this hunger and excitement for learning, especially because I feel like it was unprompted. Makes me wish I could stay home with him and have a little pre-school lesson every day about different letters and days of the week... Another amazing thing he's doing recently is reciting books, word for word, that I've read to him only a handful of times. That little brain is something else! Today some neighborhood kids came and played, which was the highlight of Owen's week. One of the boys had an April birthday and was 4 years old. He seemed SO much bigger and more articulate then Owen, like a kid that might not be into snuggling with his mom. I can't believe that in just one year, Owen will be that big... Good thing #2 is coming soon!

...and now our summer in pictures...

king salmon slayer

Owen showing off his beach body

family portrait

fishin'

Owen and mama (June)

lunch at the John Muir cabin

board walk through the meadow

Granite Creek

What did you pack for lunch?

swimming with dinos and baby Jordan

summer blossoms

solarium Sarah

loving the wall tent

wading in Lake Kathleen, Yukon

Dolly the guard dog

camping in the rain

posing with daddy in Haines Junction

birthday muffins

party time!

bike riding

smoked coho

It's Official!

Sarah’s Thoughts: I’m officially starting the second trimester of this pregnancy, and I have to tell you, it couldn’t have come too soon. I’ve definitely had a rougher time so far so I’m excited to be feeling better and have more energy. I know Luke is excited for that too! Maybe I’ll finally get to those forgotten piles of laundry stashed all over the house and be able to come up with something for dinner besides grilled cheese sandwiches and frozen pizza. Owen has decided that he has a baby in his tummy too. Today when I was snapping his pants, I accidentally pinched his tummy and he said, “Mama! You need to be careful of my baby!” He’s not sure what kind of baby is in there... could be a baby brother or maybe a baby t-rex... Time will tell!

low- the constant guessing game of “If I eat this, will I feel better or will I get sick?”

high- backyard weenie roast on a lovely partly-sunny evening

Luke Update: Something very exciting happened today. Luke started the boat for the first time in 2010. Roar of the engine, puff of blue smoke and spring is officially here, folks! We are planning a cabin camping trip on one of the islands in two weeks with another family so the boat needs to awaken from winter's hibernation and get ready for action! We’ve been noticing several other signs of spring such as pussy willows, buds on the blueberry bushes and the call of the varied thrush. Despite the surprise eight inches of snow this week, I’ve joined my husband as a believer in the change of the season. Luke has three weeks left in the legislative session which is kind of exciting. End of session equals change of pace for all of us which will be refreshing. Then its onto steelhead fishing, bear hunting, and watching Owen during the day until his fishing season starts.

Owen Update: I am very pleased to announce that Owen is officially potty trained. No more diapers at all, not even while sleeping. Its amazing how long I wondered when he’d finally get the concept of going potty on the toilet, and then one day, it happened! I didn’t even realize that I was buying my last box of diapers for Owen (probably because they were from Costco... so baby #2 already has some size 5 diapers waiting)! I can’t be sure, but I think that Owen might just be moving out of the dino phase, which is also kind of exciting. It seems like he’s been more interested in other types of animals lately, especially elephants and snakes. I mean, he still likes dinos, for sure, but I the intensity that used to come with the mention of “T-rex” is waning... I read Owen a paraphrased version of “The Velveteen Rabbit” last night and he decided that he needed to sleep with a stuffed bunny. Sweet boy.

"The Pile"

Owen's latest favorite game which includes pulling

every single pillow, cushion, blanket, he can get his hands on

and dumping them in a huge pile in the middle

of the living room. Makes a big mess, but secretly, I sort of enjoy it too.

swans on Moose Lake

"Kickin' It"

with Dolly and Chachi

"My future's so bright... "

mountain goats at the mighty mendenhall

our own little bart simpson

backyard picnic

Luke takes the driver's seat...

So Sarah gave me permission to commandeer her blog since I would have a little more time during the day than she would. Since this is my first time posting, I figured I'd better make it good, so here goes. Some of you may already have caught wind of this but hopefully it will be news to at least a few "Mostly Owen" lurkers out there. And for anyone that we flat-out lied to we are sorry for our less than truthful knee jerk response of "no, I don't know what you are talking about" or something of that nature. The Woodruff family is expected to increase by one in late September. The ultrasound suggested Sept. 22 but Sarah feels sure that we'll be seeing "junior" about a week later. Now I know what many of you are thinking and I had the same concern, "They can't have a baby then, what about Luke's moose hunt?" Don't worry, season starts Sept. 15th so we should have one down and ready for transport within the first few days in time to get back to my very pregnant wife. And if the baby comes early, well, we may just have "junior's" first moose hunt. The wall tent is very cozy.

March Already!

Sarah’s Thoughts: After more then a month of nothing, I’m feeling the need to explain my silence on the blog scene. Luke and I are hosting a small-group bible study on Sunday nights, which use to be the time I’d post my blog. So far, I haven’t found another time in the week that works for me. This week, however, our office is closed and we’re all on paid vacation (Thank you Dr. Schultz) so here I am. We’ve had a lot going on in the past month... We fit in a trip to Echo Ranch to visit our friends who are spending the winter caretaking. Owen and I took a trip to Anchorage last week to visit my dear friend, Sarah and her new husband, Jim. We’ve been to the beach, spent some time with Uncle Christian, and watched the snow melt away. I’m both nervous and excited to announce that as of today, March 2, there is very little-to-no snow on the ground! Come on spring!

low- poop and other stinky things

high- catching up on things around the house and beyond

Luke Update: While Owen and I were gone last week, I think Luke spent the majority of his time in the garage, “tinkering”, as he likes to say. He’s feeling all the excitement that comes with spring (i.e. hunting for grouse, bear, fishing for steelhead and king salmon, camping and hiking) and needs to get ready! He bought some new arrow shafts and is busy straightening, staining, gluing and sanding. He’s been testing his cast bullet loads to find the optimal combination for power and accuracy. He’s been cleaning and tuning our fishing reels and he even booked a weekend cabin camping trip in April. Once those daylight hours increase just a bit, then look out, great outdoors because the Woodruffs are going to be on the scene, ready for action!

Owen Update: Owen’s big and exciting news is that he hasn’t had a poopy diaper for about 3 weeks (except for an accident in the nursery at church). At this point, I need to pause and give kudos to Lela Paden. She’s been watching Owen for us this spring while Luke is working at the legislature. Lela has had lots of experience and success potty training boys, and ours is no exception! Owen received his first pairs of “big boy pants” after returning from Anchorage and has been very excited to wear them. He doesn’t have the peeing under control quite yet but one step at a time, right? He gets so excited about going potty on the potty chair, however, that whenever Luke or I do our business, he congratulates us up and down and runs to the freezer to get us a “special treat”. I try to explain to him that first thing in the morning, mommy just wants some orange juice or cereal for a special treat. I think he’s getting it, slowly...

And now for a month's worth of pictures...

window watching - Owen and Gabbie out at Echo Ranch

winter waves

happy valentine's!

throwing rocks on a sunny day

family snowmobiling

posing with mama

playing playdough-

Owen likes to line up the elephants and giraffes

T-Rex Owen

hanging out with Abby and Luke at the beach

playing the piano Jerry Lee Lewis style

Owen and Jim enjoying some computer time in their jammies

if I had a hammer...

echo ranch friends at the beach

big boy pants

...